nature

An Ecological Self – Part 2 (for the children)

…I look out at everything growing so wild and faithfully beneath the sky and wonder why we are the one terrible part of creation privileged to refuse our flowering…. ~David Whyte, from “The Sun” In the first post of this series, I introduced the concept of the ecological self and argued that its formation is Read more about An Ecological Self – Part 2 (for the children)[…]

psyche

An Ecological Self – Part 1

I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world (Rilke, 1996, p. 48) As noted by psychologist Anita Barrows (1995), most contemporary theories of human development, focus on the growth of the child’s psyche in relation to other people, the coming of the child into human society: learning its signs, its Read more about An Ecological Self – Part 1[…]

Our Natural Homes

Over the past few weeks, I have had the privilege of interviewing undergraduate students at McMaster University (in Hamilton, ON, Canada) about their relationship with their favourite natural places. One theme that seems to come up again and again during interviews is a strong desire held by students to escape from society (at least periodically–and, often, not frequently Read more about Our Natural Homes[…]